Delaware River Heritage Trail (Part 1 of 3)

The famed six-mile trail was built to take residents, tourists, hikers and bikers on a journey through the city’s river vistas and historic sites.

The ride

The official trailhead can be found at Fort Decker on West Main Street. From there, the trail goes right, taking you to Ferry Street. Once on Ferry Street, it turns left at River Road and takes you all the way to Water Street. From there, it turns left at Pike Street. It turns left once again and right at King Street. Once on King Street, it makes a loop around Riverside Park, passing the ball field and dike along the way.

From the park, the trail will take you back to Pike Street via King Street and then lead you right to the underpass. It then loops back around and turns left at Front Street, taking you all the way to East Main Street. Once you reach East Main Street, the trail will turn right at South Street, leading you to the west entrance of Delaware Drive and the Laurel Grove Cemetery.

From Delaware Drive, the trail then heads on over to Tri-States Rock, the junction where New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York meet. From here, it exits Laurel Grove Cemetery via Neversink Road, taking you back to East Main Street. From East Main Street, it turns left at Sussex Street and right at Broome Street, where it passes through Orange Square and crosses Pike Street. It then goes to Canal Street, turns right at the first block and left at West Main Street. From here, you can make your way back to the official trailhead at Fort Decker.

Sights

Fort Decker Museum of History

Originally built in 1760, the stone house found on the trail’s official trailhead was burnt down during the Revolutionary War in 1779. It was rebuilt in 1793 and served as a hotel, tavern and private residence since then before it was developed into a museum in 1970.

Railroad Bridge Pier

This stone pier in the middle of the river is the only thing that remains of a late 19th century railroad bridge that was built to connect Matamoras and Milford in Pennsylvania to the Erie Main Line and Port Jervis. The bridge was eventually destroyed by strong river currents.

Stay tuned for part two where we will talk about all the other great places to see along the trail.